First Church (Worcester, Mass.), Records, 1724-1920
Contents List
| Box 1 |
Folder 1 |
Church Record Book, 1745-1790
--with minutes of church meetings, 1745-1747; lists
of baptisms, 1761-1790; and admissions to the church,
1784-1790
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 2 |
Church Record Book, 1746-1784
--kept by Rev. Maccarty, with a record of church activities,
1746-1764; lists of church admissions, 1746-1784; baptisms,
1747-1761; members who had transferred from other churches,
1747-1753; and a copy of the church covenant, 1746
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 3 |
Church Record Book, 1815-1816
--with minutes of church meetings and an 1816 list
of church members
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 4 |
Church Record Book, 1821-1822
--concerning the controversy of the dismissal of Daniel
Waldo and other church members; included with copies
of committee reports and minutes of church meetings
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 5 |
Record Book, 1823-1824
--of communications between the First Church and the
First Church of Christ in Millbury, Mass.
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 6 |
Record Book, 1815-1820
--of sermons preached in the First Church, including
the name of the minister, the date, biblical quotations,
and occasional comments
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 7 |
Record Book, 1844
--of the events leading to Rev. Miller's dismissal;
with committee reports, petitions, and correspondence
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 8 |
Record Book, 1845-1851
--of marriages; listing the couples' names, ages, residences,
occupations, and parents' names
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 9 |
Record Book, 1845-1847; 1848-c.1850
--of deaths; listing the deceased's name, age, and
date and cause of death
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 10 |
Church Correspondence, 1730-1732; 1787-1817
--especially concerning finances and correspondence
between Rev. Goodrich and Daniel Waldo concerning Waldo's
dismissal
|
| Box 1 |
Folder 11 |
Church Correspondence, 1818-1820; 1901-1920
--including letters of members requesting dismissal
and correspondence concerning the dismissal of Rev.
Goodrich
|
| Box 1 |
Folder12 |
Letters of Recommendation, 1793-1819
--of people seeking membership in the church
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 1 |
Minutes of Parish Meetings, 1724; 1787-1823
--concerning finances; the choice of parish officers;
the dismissal of Rev. Austin, 1818; the installation
of Rev. Goodrich, 1815; and his dismissal, 1820, along
with the dismissal of Daniel Waldo and other church
members
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 2 |
Committee Reports, undated; 1775-1824
--including reports on church repairs and finances;
the dismissal of Rev. Austin, 1818; the dismissal of
Rev. Goodrich, 1820, and the controversy about the dismissal
of Daniel Waldo and other church members
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 3 |
Ecclesiastical Council Records, 1745; 1790-1820
--especially concerning the dismissals of Rev. Burr,
1745; Rev. Austin, 1818; and Rev. Goodrich, 1820
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 4 |
Ecclesiastical Council Correspondence, 1818-1820
--concerning the dismissal of Rev. Goodrich
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 5 |
Complaints, undated; 1796-1820
--against church members for sinning
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 6 |
Confessions, undated; 1813-1819
--of church members for sinning
|
| Box 2 |
Folder 7 |
Miscellaneous Church Records, 1776; 1816-1826; c.1886
--including pew deeds; membership certificates; marriage
intention certificates; church covenant, 1776; records
of the settlement of Rev. Goodrich, 1816; legal notes
of Franklin Pierce Rice re: the trial of damages in
removal of the church building from the Worcester Common,
c.1886
|
| Box 3 |
Folder 1 |
Warrants, 1787-1804
--to call parish meetings
|
| Box 3 |
Folder 2 |
Warrants, 1805-1820; 1851; 1895-1901
--to call parish meetings
|
| Box 3 |
Folder 3 |
Oaths, 1794-1820
--of parish tax collectors
|
| Box 3 |
Folder 4 |
Records of the Church Singers, 1805-1828
--mostly concerning finances
|
| Box 3 |
Folders 5-7 |
Receipts, Bills, and Accounts, undated; 1786-1843
|
| Box 3 |
Folders 8-9 |
Notes and Drafts, c.1821
--of a history of the events leading to the dismissal
of Rev. Goodrich
|
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|
| Octavo Volume |
1-57 |
Tax Record Books, 1788; 1790-1802; 1804-1817
--with lists of parish members; property valuations;
polls; and the amount of tax due (two copies per year)
|
|
OctavoVolume
|
58 |
Church Record Book, 1816-1820
--with minutes of parish meetings; copies of correspondence;
petitions; and records of admissions and baptisms
|
| Octavo Volume |
59 |
Church Record Book, 1821-1826
--with membership list, 1826; lists of baptisms, 1821-1825;
marriages, 1821-1824; admissions, 1821-1824; and funerals,
1821-1826
|
| Octavo Volume |
60 |
Church Record Book, 1834-1849
--with list of members, 1834; and new parishioners,
1834-1849
|
| Octavo Volume |
61 |
Treasurer's Account Book, 1862-1877
--listing income and expenditures
|
| Octavo Volume |
62-64 |
Old South Church Ladies' Foreign Missionary Association
Record Books, 1824-1871
--with minutes of annual meetings and accounts of money
collected by members
|
| Octavo Volume |
65 |
Old South Band of Hope Record Book, 1857-1862
--including the constitution, list of members; and
minutes of meetings (which consisted of singing and
recitations)
|
| Octavo Volume |
66 |
Old South Band of Hope Membership Book, 1860
--with its pledge
|
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| Folio Volume |
1 |
Church Record Book, 1787-1830
--with
minutes of meetings; records of tax assessments; a seating
chart; and pew valuations, 1828 |
| Folio Volume |
2 |
Church Account Book, 1788-1831
--with
a record of parish finances |
| Folio Volume |
3-6 |
Church Record Books, 1820-1900
--with
membership lists; baptismal and death records; warrants
for meetings; reports and minutes of committee and parish
meetings |
| Folio Volume |
7 |
Parish Record Book, 1872-1897
--with
reports of committees, church officers, and the parish
treasurer; minutes of annual meetings, especially those
concerned with finances |
| Folio Volume |
8-9 |
Parish Record Books, 1831-1871
--containing
warrants to call meetings |
| Folio Volume |
10 |
Membership Book, 1850-1898
--with
an 1850 parish membership list arranged alphabetically
with additions to 1898 |
| Folio Volume |
11-12 |
Parish Tax Books, 1818-1851
--listing
parishioners, descriptions and valuations of real personal
property, and the amount of tax due |
| Folio Volume |
13 |
Pew Tax Records, 1856-1871
--listing
the pew number, the owner, and the tax on each pew |
| Folio Volume |
14 |
Tabernacle Congregational Church
Record Book, 1874-1880
--with the Articles of Association;
list of members; rules; minutes of meetings; newspaper
clippings; and correspondence interfiled in the volume |
| Folio Volume |
15 |
Parish Record Book, 1898-1908
--with
minutes of annual and special meetings; reports of officers,
assessors, and committees (some with loose notes) |
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| Oversize Folder |
1 |
Treasurer's Accounts, 1794; 1796;
1806
|
The Old South Church, also known as the First Parish of Worcester, was
organized in 1716. The first meeting house was erected in 1719, and the
Rev. Andrew Gardner (1691-1773) was installed as the first minister. Among
other early pastors were Rev. Isaac Burr (1697-1751) and Rev. Thaddeus
Maccarty (1721-1784). After the death of Rev. Maccarty in 1784, the church
split due to the opposition of some church members to the election of Rev.
Aaron Bancroft (1755-1839). In 1790, Rev. Samuel Austin (1760-1830) was
installed as pastor. He was elected president of the University of Vermont
in 1815 but remained pastor in name only until 1818. Rev. Charles A.
Goodrich (1790-1862) was called in 1815 to assist Rev. Austin and was
installed as pastor in 1818. His election caused another split in the
church in 1820. Rev. Goodrich was dismissed in 1820 and was succeeded by
Rev. Aretius Hull (1788-1826). Rev. Rodney Augustus Miller (1798-1876) was
installed in 1827. He asked for and was granted his dismissal in 1844
after greatly increasing church membership. Other pastors included Rev.
George Phillips Smith (1814-1852), 1845-1852; Rev. Horace James
(1818-1875), 1853-1863; and Rev. Royal B. Stratton (1826-1875), 1867-1872.
The records of the Old South Church span the period 1724-1920, but
concentrate on the ministries of Rev. Samuel Austin and Rev. Charles A
Goodrich, 1790-1820. The records include correspondence, committee
reports, minutes of meetings and ecclesiastical councils, lists of
members, financial records, record books, account books, and also the
records of the Old South Church Ladies' Foreign Missionary Association,
the Old South Band of Hope, and the Tabernacle Congregational Church.
The collection includes three manuscript boxes with scattered church
correspondence, 1730-1920, minutes of parish meetings, 1724; 1787-1823;
committee reports, 1775-1824; and records of ecclesiastical councils,
1745; 1790-1820. There are also complaints, confessions, warrants for
meetings, as well as financial and business records. There are records of
the parish music groups, notes and drafts of a history of Rev. Goodrich's
dismissal, c. 1821, oaths of parish tax collectors, 1794-1820, receipts,
bills, and accounts, as well as other miscellaneous business and financial
records.
The collection also includes parish and church record books, 1745-1900,
with minutes of parish and annual meetings, committee reports, church
membership lists, baptismal, marriage, and death records, financial
records, pew valuations, seating charts, copies of correspondence and
other records. There are parish tax record books, 1788-1851, pew tax
record books, and treasurer's account books. There are membership books, a
record book of communications with the First Church of Christ in Millbury,
Mass., 1823-1824, and a small record book of events leading to Rev.
Miller's dismissal. The collection includes records, 1857-1862, of the Old
South Bankd of Hope, a children's temperance society, and records,
1824-1871, of the Ladies' Foreign Missionary Association. Finally, there
is a record book, 1874-1880, of the Tabernacle Congregational Church,
which was founded by members of the First Congregational Church in 1874.
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